CHAPTER FIFTEEN A: THE ORDER THAT ALMOST VANISHED
The first proposed order arrived two days after the gathering, but it came with a condition that unsettled everyone.
The buyer wanted twelve embroidered coats delivered in three weeks, a deadline nearly as demanding as the one that had helped cause the original crisis.
Rosa read the message twice before placing it beside the samples.
“We could do twelve,” she said.
“But not if we accept the price they’re offering.”
Hawa calculated the hours for the cuffs, while Mina measured the time needed for lining and finishing.
Their first total was almost twice the buyer’s suggested price.
“They’ll walk away,” Keira warned.
“Then they’ll walk away knowing the actual cost,” Rosa answered.
I offered to check their arithmetic, but Hawa asked to do the calculation herself first.
She wanted to understand every number before anyone put her name on a quotation.
After two revisions, they sent a price that included materials, hours, and a reasonable margin for mistakes and replacements.
June telephoned that evening.
“The price is higher than I hoped,” she said.
“Can we discuss a smaller order?”
Rosa agreed to six coats with a longer delivery window.
She also asked for a deposit that would cover materials rather than forcing the workers to finance the buyer’s inventory.
June accepted that condition and promised to return a draft agreement for review.
The women did not celebrate immediately.
They had learned that a promising phone call could become a burden when its details were left vague.
On Friday, Anika reviewed the draft and suggested changes concerning late alterations and cancellation fees.
The buyer accepted two of those changes and proposed different language for the third.
The negotiation lasted longer than the original showroom had allowed them to question a payment.
That difference was not dramatic enough for a television camera, but it changed the way the women held themselves around the table.
The same afternoon, Vivian sent a brief written apology to our family.
She acknowledged deliberately damaging the Sunday pipe, expressed regret for frightening the children, and agreed that future contact should pass through our adviser until the matter was resolved.
I did not know whether she understood everything her actions had done, and the apology did not answer every question about the first break.
I showed it to Adrian and then filed it with the repair documents.
“Do you feel better?” he asked.
“I feel less surprised by the next thing she might say,” I answered.
He nodded because he understood that distinction.
Across the street, Harold replaced a loose hinge on the community noticeboard.
Denise posted an announcement for a meeting about fair employment practices, and she asked the garment makers whether they wanted to help shape the agenda.
Rosa agreed to attend only if the meeting allowed workers to discuss practical questions rather than serve as inspirational examples.
Denise promised to send her a draft before printing the notice.
The small act of asking permission felt unusual after everything that had happened.
